The experiences and events in the lives of those families displaced by the dust bowl in SteinbeckÆs The Grapes of Wrath represent the authorÆs call for political action. In a sense, the novel serves as a social study which argues for a utopia-like society where the powerful rulers of society are replaced by a more communal and egalitarian community.
To a large degree, The Grapes of Wrath serves to illustrate the degradation and abject poverty immigrants face when they try to survive against the more powerful forces of American capitalism. In the midst of their struggle to survive, the immigrants in this work form a utopia-like community. Society is refashioned each evening among the migrants, where social leaders are picked, unspoken rules of privacy and generosity emerge, and lust, violence, and murder erupt. Despite the flaws that exist in this society, the general tendency is toward helping oneÆs fellow human beings. As Steinbeck writes:
A man who was wise found that his wisdom was needed in every campàA kind of insurance developed in these nights. A man with food fed a hungry man, and this insured himself against hunger (202).
The communal, decent, and sacrificing nature of the migrants is portrayed against a harsh backdrop of powerful and distant wealthy owners of industry who mercilessly lord over the migrants with a blind eye toward their struggles. The socialist or communist view is presented as an alternative, which provides a better lifestyle for the migrants. Nevertheless, the migrants are forced to migrate and labor for slave-wages due to the powerful forces that control society. As Thomas explains to Timothy, ôDo you know who runs the FarmersÆ Association? IÆll tell you. The Bank of the Westö (Steinbeck 306). Unlike individuals like Ma, who sacrifices her scarce rations in order to provide nourishment for others, the wealthy owners of industry ignore and exacerbate t
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